Recommendations

A number of lines of evidence were reviewed as part of the evaluation, including files and documents, performance data and data from interviews with internal and external key informants. As a result, three recommendations emerged.

Recommendation 1: Explore ways to improve the timeliness of the guideline development process.

The Task Force has committed to producing three guidelines per year; however, it has not met this target since 2018. Several factors have affected the Task Force’s ability to produce its guidelines, including the sudden death of the incoming Chair, turnover at GHGD [Global Health and Guidelines Division], increased workloads, and Task Force members’ and GHGD staff’s involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic response. Other factors affecting the timeliness of guidelines included an inability of some Task Force members to volunteer due to a lack of remuneration, too many internal reviews, too many meetings, and the length of time it took to draft scoping questions. PHAC [Public Health Agency of Canada], in consultation with the Task Force, should continue to explore ways to improve the timeliness of the guideline development process to ensure it meets its goal of producing three guidelines a year.

Recommendation 2: Given challenges, explore potential changes to address funding issues and adapt the Task Force funding model appropriately:

• Examine potential compensation for Task Force members, which may help to diversify its current composition.
• Examine ways to prioritize or optimize activities within available funding.

The lack of compensation for members affects the Task Force’s ability to recruit new members. Without such compensation, some health care professionals such as rural and remote physicians are unable to participate. The lack of compensation has also limited the amount of time that members can devote to Task Force activities, affecting overall timeliness.

PHAC is the sole funder of Task Force activities and most interviewees felt it should remain so, as it helps to avoid the possibility that outside organizations could compromise the independence of the Task Force. At the same time, funding amounts have remained largely unchanged while salaries and planned activities have increased because of efforts to increase awareness and use of the guidelines as well as involve the public as part of the guideline development process. This has resulted in Task Force partners (ERSCs [Evidence Review and Synthesis Centres] and the Knowledge Translation program) needing to reduce certain activities and cut the number of employees they can retain.

Recommendation 3: Clarify PHAC’s role versus that of the ERSCs with respect to scoping and conducting systematic reviews.

While roles and responsibilities were clearly outlined in Task Force documents such as the Methods Manual; there continued to be some confusion around PHAC’s role versus that of the ERSCs. PHAC works closely with the ERSCs, providing scientific and technical support; however, there is a lack of clarity around PHAC’s role in scoping and conducting systematic reviews. For some, this role was clear, but others felt PHAC was too involved in the reviews that were seen as an ERSC responsibility.

Source: Office of Audit and Evaluation, Public Health Agency of Canada, Evaluation of Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, December 2022.